The Viñedos de la Reina Estate
- Founded in 2006 by the Curiel family, this is one of the only wineries which specializes in wine made exclusively from Valle de San Vicente. All wines are made from estate grown grapes, picked and sorted by hand.
- The winery name, which translates to “Vineyards of the Queen” was meant to honor the wife of the head of the founding family.
- With a broad and deep experience in wine, the Curiel family started this project with the intention of showing that Mexico could make wines with the kind of profound structure and balance required for a wine to age gracefully. True to their intentions, these are some of Mexico’s finest wines given time in the cellar and they reward those who have the patience to allow them to age.
- Originally from Chile, winemaker Hector Leonardo Villaseñor Neira now lives in Valle de Guadalupe. His background is in making wines with an organic and biodynamic focus.
- Their vineyards lie adjacent to the Pacific in Valle de San Vicente and range in elevation from 300 to 800 ft and were planted from 2005 onward. It has a privileged climate and formidable rocky soils on the slope of a hill facing the sea. All vineyards are sustainably farmed with an emphasis on minimal use of resources.
Total production: 100 acres under vine, 10 wines, 9,000 cases
2022 Duquesa Blanc - Viñedos de la Reina
What to Expect and Drinking Window:
My goodness this wine is a delight. It’s the classic sleight of hand that only Mexico is pulling off with avant guard blends where grapes not often found with one another sing as if they were always meant to be. Dominated by Viognier, this shows none of the viscosity or weight in the mouth that can often be found with this variety. A precise and crisp blend of fruit and minerality, this is an absolute pleasure.
330 cases made
Drinking Window: Upon release - 5 years
Vintage:
2022
Blend:
70% Viognier, 17% Sauvignon Blanc, 13% Chardonnay
Producer:
Vinedos de la Reina
Winemaker:
Hector Leonardo Villaseñor Neira - Chilean, now lives in Mexico
Vineyards:
Valle de San Vicente - Estate vineyards with clay soils high in mineral content on the slope of a hill that faces the sea. The 9.5 acre plot that has the white grapes is at an elevation of 820 ft and was planted in 2010. Soils are rich in clay.
Winemaking:
After a long harvest to pick and sort for the best grapes, the clusters were destemmed and pressed and left to ferment in stainless steel tanks for a long low temperature period of 23 days. The wine was left to settle for 6 months before bottling. A light filtration was applied along with 40 ppm sulfites for stability.
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
13.6%
